


On Pretty Things and Flowers

by jujui98



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff, M/M, Single Parents
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-16
Updated: 2017-04-29
Packaged: 2018-10-19 11:41:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10639119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jujui98/pseuds/jujui98
Summary: "Hi, my name is Eren Jaeger. This is my son, Armin. We will be your new neighbours starting today! As you can see, Armin is an angel, but sometimes he has rough days so I want to apologize in advance for any screeching, shrieking and other loud noises young children are known for.We are always happy to make new friends so if there is anything you need, please feel free to visit us at 203!Your new neighbors."A few years ago Levi would have downright scoffed at the glittery card, already resentful of his new neighbour for even considering bringing an extra headache in the form of a blond 'angel' to the apartment next door. But years of parenting had smoothed that side of him somewhat.Levi, more than anyone, knew that raising a child was difficult enough without asshole neighbours thrown in the mix.Besides, he didn't want to come out as unfriendly to his new, bright eyed neighbour.





	1. On Fires, Rain and Sweetened Tea

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, everyone! This is my first fic ever, so I would love to hear what you think about it. I by no means object to pointers regarding my writing and/or slight nudges in the direction of grammar errors or typos :) 
> 
> Without further adue (adu, adiu? ado?)...yeah, without further ado, please enjoy :)

Levi Ackerman fixed his eyes on the blinking light of the elevator's buttons, blinking impassively at the lethargic way it jumped from number to number. It taunted him, uncaring of the almost violent way his bladder clenched down on his pride with every bump.

  
A woman bumped into him and Levi hissed. He glared at her retreating back, trying to ignore the tingling feeling that ran down his back at the jostle.

  
When the light settled on the number five he stepped forwards and walked around a young mother and her child to get off the cramped space, enforcing a power walk that would make even Mikasa gape in admiration.  
He unlocked the door to 202 and sighed in relief, nodding to Nancy in greeting before gesturing her to please wait a just minute. She made a face but sat back down on the couch to flipped through her magazine and Levi headed for his bathroom.

  
Levi could have moaned when he finally relieved himself.

  
It's not like his office didn't have a nice bathroom (and by nice he meant clean), because it did. He made sure it did. But those five minutes spent urinating in his clean office bathroom could have cost him dearly in the afternoon commute, so he sacrificed his own sanity to hurry home and get there in time for Nancy to clock out.

  
Nancy was Mikasa's 'nanny'. The teen was good with Mikasa, but she had a penchant for making faces and huffing long suffering sighs at him when he had his back turned for some reason. Also, she called in sick too often for it to be believable, given her otherwise energetic disposition. Levi only endured the teen's petulant attitude because he needed someone to stay with his daughter while he was at work.

  
And no, there really weren't a lot of nannies compatible with his demanding schedules.

  
With a sigh, Levi washed his hands and took out some bills from his wallet to walk back into the kitchen. Nancy was frowning down at her magazine when he returned so he cleared his throat to get her attention.  
She looked up at him and rose to her feet, rolling the magazine into a tight fit so she could tap it against her hips.

  
"Hi, Mr. Ackerman." Nancy mumbled. "Mikasa fell asleep a few hours ago. She really is such a good kid. Didn't make a squeak, unlike those twins from the floor above us."

  
Levi hummed in acknowledgement, trying to recall those beasts names. He came up blank so he shrugged it off.

  
"Thank you for your time, Nancy." Levi said, handing her the money.

  
"No problem." she answered counting the bills. She grabbed her purse from the couch and shifted in place, looking a bit uncomfortable. She opened her mouth a few times but settled for frowning at the floor.

  
Levi could feel his eyebrows rise to his hairline, reaching for his wallet again. "Did I give you the wrong amount?"

  
"Nothing like that, Mr. A...I just..." she breathed in and crossed her arms. "I won't be able to come in tomorrow. I'm sorry, I know you said I should give you-"

  
"A few days warning. Nancy you know I can't get another babysitter with such short notice."

  
"I'm sorry, there's this thing that I really want to attend and...it won't happen again." she promised.

  
"You say that everytime." Levi muttered. "Fine. You can leave now, unless you have other things to discuss with me."

  
She shook her head and said her goodbyes quietly, sneaking out of the door with a soft click. Levi bolted the door and dropped bonelessly on the couch, staring at the black screen of his T.V. with a frown.

  
Mikasa would have to accompany him to the office tomorrow. Again.

  
"Fuck." He grumbled, leaning back on the sofa to drape an arm over his eyes.

  
Levi gave himself a few minutes to unwind and get rid of the tension he could feel in his features, just in case Mikasa woke up. He didn't want her to see him like that.

  
A moment later he walked down the hallway to the second to last door on the right, the one painted a bright pink. Yellow flowers decorated the bottom and a small sign that spelled 'MIKASA' in big red cursive. The man leaned against the frame to watch Mikasa breathe softly, the five year-old's hands curled inwards in a relaxed state as she dreamed.

  
Levi felt the tension seep from his bones at the sight of his little girl safely tucked in her bed.

  
His eyes drifted to the glowing Superman stickers on the ceiling, chuckling when he remembered the new Spiderman ones he bought that afternoon for the girl to paste wherever she deemed fit. With silent footsteps, Levi walked towards the bed, kneeling besides it to gather a few fallen toys that Mikasa had overlooked in her routine clean up.

  
The covers shifted with a hiss as Mikasa breathed in deeply to stifle a yawn. Levi stopped moving.

  
"Levi?" A sleepy voice mumbled. Slightly chubby fingers tapped his head before pulling at it softly.

  
"Hey princess." Levi whispered. "I'm sorry I woke you up."

  
Mikasa sat up to rub the sleep from her eyes. She shuffled back to tap the space next to her and Levi sat down, reaching around for Carlton, Mikasa's stuffed dolphin. He poked Carlton's nose to Mikasa's, making the girl smile and pet the toy's head.

"Mikasa, do you want to visit me at work tomorrow?" Levi said once the girl settled her head on her pillow again.

"Nancy won't come here?" Mikasa mumbled through a yawn.

"No." Levi answered, trying to keep the irritation he felt from showing in his voice.

Mikasa seemed to ponder the question for a moment, but Levi was almost sure she was just too sleepy to reply propperly.

"Okay. I'll go with you, dad." Mikasa agreed finally, reaching for Carlton's fin to tug him from Levi's grasp.  
Levi let her and she hugged the plushie to her chest, the thing thwarted her easily and she had to wrap her legs around it to keep it in place. After a few minutes of asking Mikasa about her day, which she revealed included lots of finger painting, Levi noticed the girl's eyes drooping. As expected, Mikasa started snoring softly, stopping mid-sentence. The man waited until her breathing evened out before shifting back and covering her with the blankets again.

"Goodnight." He murmured, placing a soft kiss to her brow before tiptoeing towards his own room.

\--

"Captain!" Petra smiled as Levi walked out of the elevator. Levi rolled his eyes at the nickname. 

"Good morning, Petra." He answered easily. "I have a little something for you."

Petra smiled, reaching out her hand for the usual pastries the man got their team on Fridays, but Levi's hands were empty.

"Huh?" Petra breathed, a forlorn look on her face. The look was soon replaced by a demanding slant in her eyebrows and pursed lips. "Where is the Choco Cake, sir? Should I send Auruo to buy some?"

"No need." Levi sighed. "There is someone who really wants to deliver it herself."

Petras eyes narrowed in confusion for a second before she grinned, leaving her chair in a flash of movement to lean over her desk and look at the other side.

As expected Mikasa was there, standing on her toes and stretching her arms as far as she could in an effort to try and place the box of pastries on the counter.  
Impossible, no matter how you looked at it. Levi held out his arms and Mikasa climbed up with a grateful nod and presented the box to Petra.

The blond could barely contain her excitement, eyes obviously gushing at Mikasa's bunny hoodie.

"Morning, Ms. Petra." Mikasa mumbled as Levi held her up.

"Good morning, love." Petra sighed dreamily, dropping the box on the counter and ignoring her favourite cakes in order to speak with her favourite Ackerman.

Levi sighed and lowered Mikasa again.

Petra opened the latch of the small door in the corner to rush Mikasa in, looking on as the girl quietly rounded the desk to sit besides her chair, on her personal little stool. The little girl grabbed her skirt with one hand and looked in her bag for her new favourite colouring book with the other.

"Is it okay if Mikasa keeps you company for a bit?" Levi asked, already knowing the answer. "I have to take some calls for a while."

A single nod was sent his way and it was clear as day that Levi was well and properly dismissed. Petra was already unloading her own pencil box, anyways. He looked on as she offered Mikasa every colour in it, chattering excitedly about her favourite ones and making suggestions. Mikasa hummed quietly, deciding to point to one of Petra's suggestions diplomatically.

It was easy for Levi to see that his secretary was just as excited, if not more, to add her own touches to the mutant animal in the picture.

Levi sneaked a strawberry dipped in chocolate from the box before heading to his office.

\--

On Mikasa's request they ate pasta during lunch hour.

She decided to change stations during the afternoon, much to his secretary's dismay.

Mikasa ended up walking around the desks of his squad so Levi decided to keep the door connecting both offices open. If he was lucky he would usually catch glimpses of glossy black crawling under desks or taking crumpled papers to the trash can in the corner.

A few hours later Levi saw Gunther, probably the sanest man in his team aside from Erd, walking Mikasa to and from the photocopier. Mikasa glanced at her father as they passed by his door but said nothing. After the third time the two passed by, Levi got curious.

What could Gunther possibly need to print so much? Their documents from the Murphey case were all stacked in the folder by his desk, ready to leave for court. Since Levi hasn't accepted any other cases yet there was no reason for Gunther to be filled with paperwork.

He sneaked out of his office after the fifth time the duo paraded in front of his open door.

When he reached the photocopier room, Levi couldn't help snorting at the ridiculously long list of things in the printer's memory. Things like 'disney-coloring-pages.php.' and 'x-men-marvel-92-cartoon-comics.php.' were snuggled between the usual forms the office issued to clients.

Mikasa has found someone she could wrap around her little finger. Again.

Gunther and Mikasa walked in just as Levi decided to leave. The younger but significantly taller man blinked at Levi with a tinge of red in his cheeks.

"I..." Gunther started. "I was coerced."

Levi blinked.

"Don't worry, Gunther. We can come again later." Mikasa said seriously, waving at Levi and dragging the other man along. "Bye, Levi. We'll come again later."

When they were gone Levi leaned over a table to cup a hand to his lips. Mikasa's nonchalant attitude shouldn't be so cute.

Almost as soon as his ass pressed against his chair he heard a chair scratch against the floor.

Gunther and Mikasa walked by his door again.

\--

Luckily the population of Trost decided to leave the road mostly empty that Friday night.

They reached the apartment rather quickly and even better, the elevator only had old Mrs. Jenner inside. She pated Mikasa's hair all the way to the third floor and the girl asked Levi if she could walk the old lady to her apartment. Levi sighed and held the elevator's door open, watching Mikasa as she escorted the woman down the hall.

A minute later, Mikasa walked inside the elevator with a small pouch of crayons and bright eyes. Levi waved to the Mrs. Jenkins and pushed the button for the fifth floor.

Once they reached their destination the night air made his shoulders relax and Levi took a moment to look over the rails of the open hallway to the streets below. He could clearly see the contours of the park's pond glisten a warm yellow, reflecting the light of the street lamps

The park was one of the reasons Levi chose to live in this complex. Mikasa said it was pretty. Levi agreed with her.

Levi fished his pockets for the key to 202, he had just taken a step inside when he noticed a card dropping to the floor. Was it one of those annoying coupons from the flower shop down at the lobby again? He already had like ten of those. The thing was wedged in the door frame, between the doors hinges. Mikasa picked up the card and smiled at it before handing it to Levi.

He sighed and ushered the girl inside, glancing at the card in confusion when he noticed it wasn't another coupon. It was a handwritten letter, the blue ink a startling contrast to the yellow paper, Levi noted the words were big and loud and if Hange's ramblings could be trusted (which was debatable, at best.) it meant an outspoken person likely wrote it.

Levi turned the card around to see there was a polaroid glued to it.

His heart almost skipped a beat.

A gorgeous man smiled up at him, all green eyes and blinding smiles. Even with the bad quality of the picture, Levi could clearly see the man had a beautiful skin tone, tan and healthy. Long, messy chestnut locks brushed the tips of his shoulders. He looked young enough to be a college student, fit but not exaggeratedly so, with a good layer of lean muscle.

Cute. And kissable. Very kissable.

Levi cleared his throat and battled the slight flush in his cheeks to glance at the other person in the picture. A young boy, who looked up at the camera with a shy smile, one hand was blurred as the boy waved.

"Levi." said girl called out from the kitchen. "I'm hungry."

Levi locked the door behind him and stepped out of his shoes, pleased to see Mikasa had done the same. He walked into the kitchen to see the girl sitting in a chair by the kitchen island.

"Do you have any requests, Mikasa?" Levi asked as he put on the 'Does not Cook well with Others' apron Hange gave him for Christmas a few years ago. He dropped the card on the island.

"No." Mikasa mumbled. Levi nodded and walked to the fridge to get a few eggs, he mixed them with some salt and flour to make omelettes, knowing it would be better if Mikasa ate something light before going to bed.

"Mikasa." Levi called as he dropped the mix in a frying pan. "Did you practice your reading today?"

"Mmm...a bit. I read a flyer."

"Do you want to practice a bit more?" Levi asked, already knowing the answer. He glanced back to see Mikasa nodding slowly, curious about whatever Levi wanted to show her. "Read that paper in the counter for me then."  
Mikasa reached for the card and smiled at the picture again.

"This is a picture." She giggled. "I can't read pictures."

"I know that." Levi said, smiling softly. "Turn it around."

Mikasa did and she started reading the thing silently, trying to remember what all the words were supposed to sound like.

"Hi," she read after a minute. "my name is Eren...J..ja..."

Levi leaned in to see. "Jaeger."

"Thank you. Hi, my name is Eren Jaeger. This is my son...arm in?"

Levi stopped to look back at that, Mikasa was frowning at the paper with confusion all over her face.

"Armin." Levi chuckled when he read the paper. "The boy's name is Armin."

Mikasa oohed and glanced back down at the paper. She read over the card silently and Levi dropped a warm omelette on her plate. Letter promptly forgotten, she dug into the cheesy goodness with gusto.

Levi picked up where she left off, figuring it was no use trying to get her to concentrate again with the food already on her plate. 

 

> _-Armin. We will be your new neighbours starting today! As you can see, Armin is an angel, but sometimes he has rough days so I want to apologize in advance for any screeching, shrieking and other loud noises young children are known for._  
>  _We are always happy to make new friends so if there is anything you need, please feel free to visit us at 203!_
> 
> _Your new neighbors._
> 
>  

Levi raised an eyebrow, slightly amused and somewhat weary towards the content of the letter.

A few years ago Levi would have downright scoffed at the glittery card, already resentful of his new neighbour for even considering bringing an extra headache in the form of a blond 'angel' to the apartment next door. But years of parenting had smoothed that side of him somewhat.

The boy in the picture -Armin was it?- looked much younger than Mikasa so a bit of shouting was to be expected.

Levi, more than anyone, knew that raising a child was difficult enough without asshole neighbours thrown in the mix.

Besides, he didn't want to come out as unfriendly to his new, bright eyed neighbour.

\--

The next week went by fast and without any major issues, but Saturday was still a welcome reprieve from the outside world.

Levi hadn´t seen a hint of his new neighbours face, understandable since the brat was probably busy with moving in and all. He still learned tons about the brat, what with Christa coming by to gossip about him to Levi and all.

Friendly, energetic and an all-round good person, she said.

Now, father and daughter sat on the small desk by the balcony's door; Levi tapped away on his laptop, Mikasa worked hard to finish the homework she still had left from school.

It was only a week into her school vacation, but Mikasa was a determined little soldier and she was done with more than half of it already, furiously scribbling out the answers to the simple math on her sheet. Her enthusiasm probably had to do with the fact that Levi agreed to take her to the zoo when she finished.

The soft pitter patter of the early evening rain reached their ears through the balcony's glass door, fat drops of rain water slid down to make puddles in the white tiles. Levi would have to clean that place out after the rain was over.

All in all, it was a nice Saturday morning up until the moment the fire alarm decided to mess with their lives.

The shrill ringing noise of the fire alarm penetrated the apartment and Levi's eyes widened, heart pounding as he looked around. Mikasa whined and covered her ears, eyes clenched shut.

In a flash of movement Levi gathered Mikasa in his arms and raced towards the door, praying that the fire alarm was started because a moron had gotten their breakfast burned and not because something serious had happened. Mikasa clung to him as he unlocked the door and stepped out. He headed for the stairs. Others were already headed there as well and Levi counted heads, most of the floor was already there.

A screaming child joined the loud alarm and Levi turned to see the pair from 203 following closely behind, the boy (Armin, was it?) had his face buried on his father's neck, crying with all his might.

Levi gripped Mikasa tighter and looked down at the mess of people pushing one another out of the way to get out. The twins from upstairs were pouting as their mother tried to keep them from getting trampled. A guy pushed Christa, the young barista from 206 into a wall and Ymir, her girlfriend, was on his throat in less than a second. People scrambled to walk around them.

The twins were crying now. Armin was still crying.

Mikasa tightened her hold around his neck.

By god, if she started crying Levi would make sure heads rolled.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Levi snapped at the pair in the middle of the ruckus. People stopped to look at this glaring eyes, some with relief at seeing him there, some with slight winces.

"Levi." Ymir greeted, hold already loosening.

"You're blocking the way, move. You can solve this outside."

Ymir nodded as she let go of the guy's jacket, stepping back and grabbing Christa's hand.

"The rest of you," Levi called out, making the most of having everyone's attention. "Calm down and act like the adults you're supposed to be, there are children here. Don't shove anyone, for fucks sakes. Form a line, let the kids go first. Where's Mrs. Jenner?"

"I got her, chief." A voice came from the steps below. Levi nodded to Connie.

"Alright, let's move."

"You heard Levi, move it." Ymir said firmly. The others nodded. The pace was much faster now with everyone in order and Levi nudged the bright eyed brat from 203 in front of him so they could start their own descent.

They went downstairs easily from then on and every floor they came across fuelled Levi's hope of this being just a small kitchen fire or something like that. He couldn't feel any heat from the walls or floors, which was a good sign at least.

Crisp morning air bit at his skin as soon as he stepped outside, firemen directed them to the side as soon as they crossed the glass doors. The rain was still beating on the top of his head consistently, Levi was grateful he managed to snatch Mikasa's hoodie from the coat rack before leaving.

Despite the cold, there were random breezes of warm, toasty air coming from the direction of the bakery besides the lobby.

The fire department was already there, their flashing lights and yellow suits making everyone around whisper and gossip. After a minute, two men dragged out a scorched oven. They dropped it on the sidewalk, where it hissed and sizzled with each raindrop, and went inside again. Both men resurfaced with a megaphone and Levi sighed in relief when he heard them announce that the fire had been taken care of.

"Everything is okay." He whispered as Mikasa pointed out towards the bakery frantically, clinging to his shoulders and pushing up in an effort to look. "It was probably just some idiot who didn't know how to handle an oven. Everything's okay now."

A soft voice behind him called out to him. "Levi."

He turned around to look at the short blonde, who still had Ymir's hand clasped on her own tightly. Christa shifted back to let Ymir handle the rest once she made sure they had Levi's attention.

"Sorry about before." Ymir muttered. "I guess my temper got the best of me again."

"That could have been really dangerous, Ymir." Levi sighed, looking at the tan girl with an unimpressed expression.

Ymir held up her hands in surrender, nodding along in agreement. "I know, I know...I'm sorry."  
Levi sighed and nodded, not feeling up to much more than that. Ymir was a good girl, as long as she had Christa with her, and she and Levi had learned to respect each other during the years.

But as much as Ymir respected him, there was an Ackerman whose opinion she valued just as much, if not more...

Mikasa looked at her with a pout.

"That was bad, Ymir." Mikasa frowned as she patted the tan girls cheek.

Ymir blushed and hung her head. "Sorry, 'kasa. It was bad. I won't do it again."

Mikasa nodded, pleased and Levi smirked at the bashful expression on Ymir's face. The tan girl placed a kiss to Mikasa's hand before turning to Christa again.

After a brief goodbye, the girls walked in the direction of the cafe down the street, most likely to shield themselves from the rain. Levi was about to follow their example when he spotted a familiar tuff of brown hair a few steps away, bouncing a crying Armin in his arms.

He was tempted to just leave the young man alone so he could comfort the kid in peace, but since Eren was new to the place he probably wouldn't know where to take refuge from the incessant rain. The fire department probably wouldn't let them in the building anytime soon because of the smoke and Levi could see the way Eren was shivering, dressed only in a thin t-shirt and his pyjama pants.

He looked like a lost puppy, slowly getting drenched and watching the bakery with wide eyes. 

Levi sighed and walked over, moving to stand besides him.

"They won't let us in for another few hours." Levi said as a form of greeting.

Eren jumped and turned to face him. His eyes widened once they caught sight of him and Levi could have sworn he saw the faintest dusting of pink decorate his cheeks.

Levi raised an eyebrow when Eren didn't answer and the kid blinked.

"Oh, umm...no, I don't think so." Eren mumbled.

"There's a coffee shop down the block." Levi said, he pointed down the road to prove his point. "Nice place, not too expensive. We can wait for the rain to pass there, you can't stay outside dressed like that."

Eren blinked and looked down at his clothes, blushing. "Saturday mornings are for pyjamas."

Mikasa giggled and Levi nodded.

"I agree." He mumbled, looking down at his own clothes. "Come on, then. We should hurry before we have no place to sit. The others are bound to go there once the excitement wears off."

Eren nodded, following Levi as they walked down the street.

\--

Somehow, Armin stopped crying on the way there and Levi could have dropped to his knees in gratitude.

Armin's reaction was justified, of course it was, but Levi really wasn't used to screaming children anymore.

Once inside the warm coffee shop he made a beeline for his usual table, relieved to see it still empty. Once he took his seat, Levi looked up to see Eren still standing in the doorway, looking around with a constipated expression on his face, probably because there was no other booth available.

Levi gestured him over when their eyes met and Eren looked surprised for a moment before he smiled and walked over, setting Armin down on his lap.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to impose." Eren said as he took the booth across from him and Mikasa.  
Levi had imagined Eren's voice would be stronger, exuberant almost. It took him a minute to notice his voice sounded off because of the way his words quivered, tight because of the subtle way his teeth chattered.

"Take my jacket." Levi mumbled. It wasn't even a conscious decision, the words were out of his mouth before he registered his own cold hands. He shifted to take it off and push the garment over the table.

Eren shook his head vehemently, the wet tips of his hair got stuck to his cheeks and jaw, dark locks made darker when damp.

"You're freezing." Levi insisted.

Eren swallowed and looked from the coat to Levi's face for a second. He took his arms from around Armin's middle to push the jacket back.

"I'm not that cold." he muttered.

"Take the coat." Levi sighed. "You need it more than I do. I'll warm right up once our drinks get here anyways."

Before Eren could find another excuse, the door opened and a cold breeze made the skin of his arms rise in goosebumps. Levi smirked as the boy took the coat, shifting into it with a quiet 'thank you'.

The sleeves didn't even reach his wrists. But the shoulder area was okay, if a bit loose.  
Eren reached into his pockets to tie his hair back with an elastic band, fixing it in a loose ponytail.

A waitress walked over to take their orders. Earl Grey for Levi, with a dash of milk and lots of sugar. A mochaccino for Eren, sandwiches and pastries to share and two small cups of hot cocoa for the kids.

Oh, and a extra puzzle sheets for Mikasa, with a pink pen, please.

Eren pulled the coat tighter around himself, kissing Armin's tear stained cheeks and Levi took the moment to look around the small cafe. As he had expected, people started flooding inside the already cramped area, making small puddles of rainwater in front of the entrance. Most of them were dressed simply, in either pyjamas or casual clothes.

It was a odd sight, comforting in its simplicity and honesty.

Things like this always helped remind him that there was more to his life than being the stone faced lawyer that people turned to when they couldn't get their shit together, that sat for hours on end behind a mahogany desk in the top floors of nice buildings.

Levi looked down to Mikasa, who slid her arm around his as was her customary position whenever they were close enough for her to do it. He patted her head with his free hand and she blinked up at him, a small smile painted on her face.

"Thank you for showing me this place." Eren said, making Levi face him again. "I just moved here so I don't know my way around yet." he sighed as he played with the neck of the coat absentmindedly.

"I figured." Levi sighed. "The card you left in my door made it clear."

Eren's eyes flickered from one of the sleeve's buttons to him so fast Levi thought it was a wonder the kid didn't get dizzy.

"Oh. You're the Ackermans, right?" Eren grinned.

Before Levi could answer Mikasa sat up and offered up her free hand. "My name is Mikasa Ackerman, nice to meet you."

Eren shook her hand and offered her a smile. "Hello, Mikasa. I'm Eren Jaeger, it's nice to meet you too. This is-"

"Arm In." Mikasa nodded.

The brunet blinked for a moment before he chuckled. "Yes, Armin."

Eren's eyes settled on him again and Levi offered up his hand.

"I'm Levi."

Eren smiled and shook his hand, the sleeves of Levi's jackets revealed another inch of skin tantalizingly slowly and Levi clenched his free hand in a fist under the table.

"Nice to meet you, Levi." Eren said, his handshake was firm and strong, but not overwhelmingly so. "Thank you for everything, including what you did back there on the stairs. I was panicking just a bit I guess, but you were really calm so it made me at ease somehow."

Another blinding smile and didn't this kid get tired of smiling so much?

Levi hoped he didn't. It was a nice smile.

"Someone had to say something, is all." Levi muttered, looking away. He noticed Armin struggling to fight off Eren's arms to prop his body over the table and blinked in confusion. Eren chuckled and subtly pointed to the girl by his side.

When Levi glanced over, Mikasa had her chin glued the table, staring blankly at the way Armin all but hopped over the table to look at her from up close. Levi could feel his fingers itching to take her to the closest bathroom to scrub her face clean of any and all bacteria, but he resisted the urge, seeing that the younger ones were mid introductions.

"You have pretty eyes." Mikasa mumbled.

Armin giggled and a bout of spit landed on the table, the rest stayed on his mouth to make bubbles. Eren laughed and grabbed a napkin to clean Armin's chin and thumb. He dropped another one on the table, over the wet spot.

"She just gave you a compliment little man, say thank you." Eren urged. Armin babbled something undecipherable and Mikasa looked at Levi for help, confused.

Levi shrugged and Mikasa opted for nodding along to whatever it was that Armin was trying to say, unwilling to let the toddler be discouraged by the fact that no one seemed to understand him. If the animated way Armin was babbling was anything to go by, Levi doubted that could happen.

Their drinks arrived a minute later and Levi sighed in contentment at the rich scent of the sweetened tea, prepared exactly as he had asked. He would leave Annie a good tip for that.

"Weirdest lunch I've had in a while." Levi mused, staring at the assortment of small sandwiches near his tea.

"Weird, but tasty." Eren shrugged, biting one of the ham and egg sandwiches on his plate.

Mikasa nodded and took one of each flavor, ignoring the unimpressed look on Levi's face. Eren just smiled at her and took a sip of his coffee, probably wondering if it was possible for someone so small to eat so much.  
Levi knew it was.

"Umm...Levi, so. The previous owner of 203, told me you're a lawyer." Eren said after a moment of silence.

"That's amazing, you must be really smart."

"Not smart, just stubborn." Levi sighed, turning his attention back at Eren. "But yes, I'm a lawyer, graduated from Sinna."

"Sinna?" Eren gasped, pronouncing the name with reverence. "That's amazing."

"How about you, do you work? Do you study?"

"I'm studying. I toyed with the idea of attending there, Sinna I mean, but umm...some things came up and I didn't. But I go to Trost, half an hour away from here. I'm in the Arts department for painting and photography."

Levi hummed, thinking back on the colorful card that ended up in his doorstep.

"An artist." Levi muttered. "Impressive."

Eren seemed to relax at that, which was the only reason Levi noticed he was uncomfortable in the first place. He wondered if there was something behind that, but first meeting were hardly the place to discuss heavy stuff so he didn't comment.

"Thank you." Eren said. "I also work on the days I don't have classes. At Maria's."

"Maria's? Isn't that the flower shop down at the lobby?" Eren visibly perked up at that, he nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, that's the one. It's a really nice place to work. Not too many clients and plenty of pretty things to inspire a painting or two."

Levi imagined what the tall brunet would look like with a green frilly apron, holding a bouquet of flowers as he welcomed Levi in the shop, bright green eyes contrasting nicely with his uniform.

And Levi's screwed. The brat was a fucking ray of sunlight and now he was responsible and mature, too? Raising a child is nothing to scoff at, but attending college and working at the same time? That's nothing sort of miraculous.

"Not bad." Levi said.

Eren shrugged, obviously pleased and Levi was glad that he seemed to take the comment as the compliment it was.

Levi took another sip od his tea, glad for the warmth it provided. He looked on as Eren had to use the remaining napkins to wipe Armin's messy chin of the chocolaty goodness of the boy's donut. Levi wondered if perhaps it would be better to ask Annie for more sometime soon, Armin didn't look as though he was finished.

A glance to his side revealed that MIkasa was petting her stomach with a calculating look in her eyes, probably getting ready to jump for the pastries.

"So, who takes care of the kid while you're gone?" Levi asked.

"Pixis...ah that would be the owner of the flower shop, the old guy with the mustache?" Levi nodded and Eren continued with an amused tilt to his voice. "Well he insisted on me taking him to work, he says we'll attract more clients that way. We mostly just do deliveries to the rooms in the apartment anyways, so he says it's not a problem."

Levi hummed, biting down on the tomato and cheese sandwich in his hands. "What about your classes? Is Armin a model as well?"

Eren shook his head with a smile, setting down his food. "He stays with an old friend those days." He said after swallowing. Levi was grateful that the kid seemed to have a modicum of manners. "What about Mikasa?"

"She has a nanny." Levi grumbled.

"Her name is Nancy." Mikasa said over a sip of her chocolate.

Levi nodded "I work most of the day."

"Everyday?"

"Mostly."

Eren hummed and leaned back, hugging Armin to his chest. "I guess that's what it's like to have a real job, huh? I'm home most of the week, since my classes are all pretty laid back."

Levi nodded absentmindedly, eyes fixed to the stoic blonde making her way to them.

"Levi, the fire department left." Annie said as she took their cups from them. "Do you want anything else?"

Levi checked his watch, just after two.

"No, thank you, Annie." Levi sighed, reaching into his back pocket to get the money.

"No, no...I'll get this." Eren said reaching under Levi's jacket to fish for his wallet. Annie blinked and looked to Levi, eyebrow raised.

"Let me pay." Eren said before Levi could say anything. "You've been really kind to me, I'd like to do something in return."

"Aren't college brats supposed to be constantly broke?" Levi drawled but nodded to Annie.

Eren all but jumped up to press the bills in Annie's hands, thanking her profusely and giving her a generous tip.

She gathered their trays and left for the counter.

"A treat every once in a while won't kill me." Eren shrugged, pulling Levi's jacket close to him before gathering Armin in his arms and standing up.

The blond boy kept babbling nonsensically at Mikasa all the while and Mikasa asked Levi to pick her up so she could comfortably continue to nod along sagely, giving her own opinions on certain subjects slowly.

The sky stopped pissing on them, but the cold breeze persisted, ruffling their hair and chilling their bones.

Once they reached their apartments, Levi turned to unlock his door. He heard Eren do the same and he turned to face him.

"Well...it was nice to meet you, Levi. Again, thank you for everything." Eren said as he fumbled with his keys.

"Are the flowers any good?" Levi muttered.

Eren blinked at him, confused until Levi pointed a finger to the floor, towards the lobby.

And yes Levi knew it, he was aware of just how full of shit he was because he had already decided to visit the place. Even if the flowers were the most wilted, depressing abominations mother Earth dared to spawn, he would still go and buy them.

But was he really so wrong in wanting to speak with the brat for a few more seconds?

"O-oh...yeah, they're really nice." Eren said, eyes fixed on his shoes. "Y-you should come around to see them.

There might be something that catches your interest."

Levi smirked. "Yeah, I think there might be."

An instant flush that overtook Eren's cheeks at the thoughtful tone in Levi's voice. The taller male opened and closed his mouth several times before taking a deep breath and chuckling, meeting Levi's eyes with his own smiling ones.

"Then you're welcome to visit the shop anytime, Levi. I...umm, I work from 4:00 p.m to 9:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, if you want me to help you find something."

"Well, I'll make sure to pay Maria's a visit sometime this week. Bye Armin."

Armin waved, excited that Levi was petting his head.

"Mikasa, I also expect a visit from you." Eren smiled as Mikasa's eyes widened. Levi smiled. It was not a secret that she was fond of pretty things, the flower shop would be paradise.

"Okay." Mikasa agreed quickly. "Thank you. I like roses. Red roses."

"Then I'll make sure to save the biggest one I see for you." Eren answered before giving them a last wave and going into his apartment.

Levi locked his door behind him and lowered Mikasa to the ground.

"I like him." Mikasa mumbled as she pulled out her hoodie. The collar got stuck on her head and she struggled to pull it off. Levi smirked and helped her out.

"Yeah." Levi muttered absentmindedly. "I like him too."


	2. On New Nannies and Underwater Gyms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! Thank you so much for the positive feedback, I can't begin to explain how happy I get with every Kudos and Comment!
> 
> Writing this chapter took a bit longer than I expected, uni was brutal this week. Brutal, I tell you. So sorry if I took too long! 
> 
> Again, I'm so happy you liked this fic, thank you <3

Monday usually made itself known to Levi with a slap in the face and a penchant for inconveniences.

So, Levi could be better. Not to say things were awful, the definitely could be worse, obviously, but... they could be better. And yeah, he might not feel as calm as usual, but he was handling it.

As in, Levi was quietly seething, fists clenched and brow furrowed in an irritated grimace.

Mikasa wandered around the apartment, babbling about this and that to an attentive Carlton while Levi looked from his clock to the door.

He had called Nancy to confirm her schedule for Monday and they agreed on her being by his front door by 7:30 A.M. at the latest so Levi could get to work in time.

It was 7:46 and, alas, she was nowhere to be found.

She didn't pick up her phone or respond to texts, email, fucking smoke signals or the fax machine... Levi would have less trouble contacting the Queen of England.

Levi stepped out to the hallway for the umpteenth time in the last three minutes to stare at the elevator at the end with a look of irritation on his face. Mikasa followed him out this time, mimicking his crossed arms and glaring at the closed metal doors.

Suddenly, the shrill ringing of his phone indicated an incoming call and Levi picked up immediately when he saw who the caller ID belonged to.

"Nancy."

"I'm so sorry Mr. A." The groggy voice on the other end mumbled. Levi frowned at the sound of shrill metal clashing against metal and a deeper voice on the background. Were those beer cans? Probably, because Levi would have to be an idiot not to recognize the sound, familiar with it thanks to his not so stellar family background.

When he felt a familiar thrum of anger slowly creeping into him he bit his tongue and ushered Mikasa inside. She didn’t need to hear this conversation.

"There was this party in..the, uh, down in the... downtown and I might have-"

"You're drunk." Levi hissed.

"No, no..." she slurred, unconvincingly. Levi heard her groan as she shifted, obviously in pain due to her hangover. He rolled his eyes. "If I catch the next bus I can get there in-"

"Don't bother, I don't want you near my daughter right now."

"Don't be such a prude, old man." Nancy scoffed, words awkward and slow.

Levi sighed. No way was Levi letting her take care of Mikasa while intoxicated. True, he was royally fucked without a nanny, but there was no way in hell he could let that woman back in his apartment reeking of sex and alcohol. He ran out of patience for this girl.

Obviously she didn't take this job seriously, with how many times she had screwed him over.

"Don't come over." Levi snapped. "We'll talk later."

"Wait-" She gasped a second before he hanged up.

He would send her a message saying she was fired when he got the chance. Or have Petra do it.

And well, there goes his third nanny in the short span of two months. Levi mumbled under his breath, cursing at the ceiling before bumping his forehead against the apartment’s door.

What about Mikasa? He couldn't take her to work so often, not to mention he had a meeting outside of the building today. Who was going to look after her while he talked to Nile? A waitress? No way.

Well, maybe if he left a good tip and put on a nice smile someone would take pity on him. He had the money...the rest, he wasn't really counting on. It was unlikely he could pull off anything resembling smile, with the way he couldn't seem to stop clenching his teeth.

Levi huffed.

Why was everything so hard? It didn't look that hard on the movies, or the parenting books he read, or on the park, when he watched the other parents. Or anywhere else. It shouldn't be so hard. Maybe he was just doing everything wrong? Wouldn't be the first time.

He just wanted to give Mikasa a safe environment to grow up in, a good one, a place to call home -which is something Levi had never really had himself- but managing his heavy work schedule while raising a child singlehandedly proved to be taxing, even after all these years.

Maybe he should start looking into that daycare about an hour away? But it was just so filthy and full of snotty, rude kids and abhorrent teachers, and kids were so easily influenced at this age...no, he would just have to search for another nanny.

A better one, obviously.

Mikasa creeped out of the apartment and pulled at his sleeve.

She pressed Carlton to his arm with a concerned look on her face, and Levi just wanted to keep banging his head against the door in hopes of-

"Levi?"

-in hopes of willing time to go back and gently place him back in bed, where the most attractive man he had ever laid eyes on wouldn't have to see him have a mental breakdown in the very much public hallway.

With a grimace, Levi unglued his forehead from the unforgiving wood of his door and turned around to see Eren frowning at him, still in his pyjama pants (Levi had yet to see him in anything else) and holding what seemed to be mail in his free hand, a sleepy Arming clinging to the other.

"Eren, good morning." Levi sighed, checking his clock. 7:49 already. He texted Petra to let her know he would be late, asked her to reschedule everything and to send Auruo to spend the morning with Mikasa here. Auruo would flip, he was supposed to meet with the hospital staff down at St. Louis to-

"Is everything okay?" Eren asked, frown fixed on what had to be a red spot in the middle of his forehead. He watched as Mikasa walked over to tap Armin's shoulder. Armin smiled sleepily at her, easily accepting the offered Carlton with a gurgling noise.

"Levi?"

"Yeah, no..." Levi muttered tucking the phone back into his suit's pocket, ignoring the onslaught of texts that chimed in every second or so. Petra was panicking, probably. "I have to get to work in,” another glance at his clock “…thirteen minutes. I have no nanny, or more accurately, Mikasa has no nanny and I might have given my secretary a stroke."

Eren's eyebrows rose to his hairline at that. "That sounds...hectic."

"Pretty much." Levi mumbled. "How's your morning going?" The urge to add something like sunshine, or maybe even sweetness at the end of that sentence was as sudden as it was puzzling.

Levi blinked stupidly at the amused smile in Eren's face and pretended not to notice how his stomach flipped.

"Better than yours, for sure." Eren chuckled. He had a nice laugh, soft and still somewhat sleepy.

"Yeah?" Levi asked, slightly dazzled. Eren smiled.

"Yeah." Levi nodded and Eren shifted in place, looking at the two kids with a calculating look on his face.

"Umm...Levi, what happened to your nanny? Wait, never mind that, you're in a hurry. I can take care of Mikasa for you, if you want. Free of charge, of course."

Levi stopped looking at the pair besides Eren's legs to stare at Eren, surprised. "Oh?"

"I said-"

"I know what you said. What about your classes? And you already have Armin."

"No classes today." Eren assured. "I took some time off. And I think it would be good for Armin to spend time with someone closer his age. He starts school next year and this book I read said that he should...umm, I promise it won't be a problem, as long as you and Mikasa are okay with it. I'm good with kids and we won't leave the apartment."

Levi bit his bottom lip for a moment, considering his options.

He was aware of the fact that every second that ticked by was another excuse for Nile to drop that deal they've been working on, and that was saying goodbye to a considerable amount of zeros in the company's income... but if he were to leave Mikasa with Eren then he would be able to make it in time to the restaurant, hopefully, and Auruo would be able to stay in the office and work on the Sansbury case.

Mikasa wouldn't object, probably.

Levi thought back on his conversation with Eren at the coffee shop down the street. From what he observed about Eren, the brat was trustworthy and honest. It was also clear as day that he was smitten with Mikasa and vice versa.

He could always call Ymir to come and discreetly check on things later, anyways.

He searched Eren's face for signs of hesitation and, when he found nothing but expectation, he fished his phone from his pocket once more.

"Okay." He breathed. "Okay, I...I work until six this afternoon, is that good for you?"

"Yes." Eren nodded.

"Good. Give me your number, we can contact each other as soon as I get a break."

Eren gave him his number and Levi called him. The phone's ringtone blared somewhere inside the apartment and Levi told Eren to save his number.

He leaned down to catch Mikasa's chin on between his pointer and thumb.

"Princess, you remember Eren from next door? Is it okay if he stays with you for the day?"

Mikasa hummed. "What about Nancy?"

"She won't be coming over anymore, Mikasa. Would you like to stay and play with Armin and Eren today while I'm at work? You'll have to stay in their apartment."

Mikasa's eyes bulged at the mention of Armin and she started nodding along excitedly even before Levi was finished. Levi looked up at Eren.

“Are you really sure? Two kids could be…difficult.”

"We'll be fine, don't worry." Eren promised with a reassuring smile on his face as he looked at Levi. "You can call me anytime, as soon as you're free. Any time, really."

"Thank you, Eren." Levi said as he took out a bag with some of Mikasa's things, locking the apartment behind him. He put the backpack on Mikasa's shoulder and the girl was too enthralled with the way Armin salivated all over Carlton's fins to notice.

"You’re welcome." Eren said, throwing an amused glance at the curious look in Mikasa's face. "Have a nice day at work, Levi."

Eren waved, opening the door to his apartment. Mikasa ran in with Armin wobbling in tow.

Levi thanked Eren again and made for the elevator's doors, speed-dialing Petra to let her know he was on his way.

 _"What about Mikasa?"_ She asked.

"It's covered."

_"Good. I was about to tell you Auruo couldn't make it. He's in the hospital."_

Levi huffed. "He went anyways? Well, it worked out anyways, but I told you that I would need him here."

_"Yes, well, he did go, just not so much as a lawyer, but as a patient. Again."_

Levi frowned. "What happened?"

_"He was on his way over but he bit his tongue when he realized his car was low on gas."_

"Send him chocolates on me." Levi grumbled.

 

* * *

 

Levi drove like the fearless man his mother always taught him to be (even though this was likely not what she had in mind) and he arrived almost ten minutes late. Even so, it was obvious Nile hadn't arrived yet.

A waitress lead him to his table and he sat down, immediately taking the chance to check why his phone had beeped in the car.

 _ **[E. JEAGER]:**_ Hi :) We're having a lot of fun! I hope your morning is getting better.

Levi raised an eyebrow at the smiley face and opened the picture attached. He snorted at the sight of Mikasa, Armin and Carlton sitting down at a small table, eating cereal. What possessed Eren to give Carlton his own chair and bowl was a mystery, but Levi was glad that there was no actual cereal in it.

He didn't even bother to point out Mikasa already had some toast before she left the apartment.

 _ **[YOU]:**_ Good. I'll be able to call in a few hours. He hit send and set his phone down, reaching for the water in the small pitcher by his right. Before he could even take a sip of his water, Levi found himself blinking at his phone, surprised at the text message alert.

 _ **[E. JEAGER]:**_ OK! :)

And there was another picture, with the strong arm emoji as a footnote. In the picture, both Mikasa and Armin sported looks of utter concentration, glaring at the ceiling as they showed off their 'muscles'.

Armin looked like he was praising the ceiling more than anything else, but Mikasa's expression was on point.

Levi's eyes narrowed on the plushie on the side. He raised an eyebrow, wondering how on earth Eren managed to keep Carlton's fins up in the air like that.

 _ **[YOU]:**_ When did Carlton get so buff?

 _ **[E. JEAGER]:** _ I asked Mikasa and said she said he worked out on a gym under the ocean. :O

 _ **[E. JEAGER]:**_ Are you in the meeting yet?

 _ **[YOU]:** _ No, the asshole decided to be late.

 _ **[E. JEAGER]:** _ Disrespectful >:(

Levi smirked at that, unwilling to admit that Nile's tardiness might have been a nice thing this time around.

He sipped the water from his glass and looked up in time to see none other than Nile smiling salaciously at the waitress, who frowned at him, unimpressed. She led the man to where Levi was sitting.

His phone beeped and Levi bit at his lower lip. He had to ignore it in order to shake the other man's hand.

"Nile," he said curtly.

"Ackerman," Nile greeted, gravely. "I have all the documents with me, I just need your signature and we can both be on our ways."

Levi raised an eyebrow. "No need to rush. Let's talk things over some coffee."

He glanced down at his phone when Nile raised his hand to order, glancing around to see who was coming to wait on their table.

 _ **[E. JEAGER]:**_ Mikasas the sweetest most respectful human being. Got any parenting tips 4 me?

Levi's chest surged with pride over his little spawn and he typed a quick 'Yes. In meeting now, will call at lunch.' before putting his phone on silent so that incoming messages wouldn't disrupt the meeting.

Ah, that was something new.

Since when was his phone, his phone, a distraction from work? And just how long has it been since he's had to put it on silent for anyone other than Hange? Years, at least, and for entirely different reasons at that.

It wasn't a bad thing, Levi decided.

 

* * *

 

The meeting went by easily, considering what the client wanted. Changing lawyers in the middle of a trial was risky, at best. But Levi firmly believed that his client's son was not guilty and he'd be damned if he let such a young brat get a record because Nile was an incompetent idiot.

He ended up offering his services for half the money after listening to the story's details. The family had already paid an exorbitant amount to the piece of shit sipping overpriced coffee in front of him and Levi couldn't take the offered amount in good conscience.

This wasn't even the first client to come begging at his doorstep after getting stuck with him.

There were enough heartless lawyers out there, no need to contribute.

He did -as he had hoped would be the case- get to chew Nile's head off. It was immensely satisfying to see his smug smile drop and his lips purse into a morose grimace instead.

Levi wasn't one for tooting his own horn so when he said he was the best lawyer in the city it was the goddamn truth, nothing else. His clients were endless and he hasn't lost a case in years, and that one was only because he realized the fucker was actually guilty and he decided to just hand him in rather than continue his defense.

So yeah, work was good. Sometimes, he still had to stop whatever he was doing and appreciate the fact that he had emergency money when back in the day he didn't even have money for food.

He left the bill to Nile without a hint of remorse, but left a nice tip to the waitress.

 

* * *

 

Office, sweet office.

It really was nice to be here, or at least, Levi liked it.

The waiting room was big enough, Petra's pristine desk sat on the right, occupying most of the wall there, a few couches were placed on the left, with some magazines and other paraphernalia.

Levi's office was just down the hall, close enough to see her desk, far enough that he wasn't bothered by the noises of incoming clients and calls.

"Boss, did you seal the deal?" Petra asked as soon as Levi walked out of the elevator.

"I did. The family should be by during the week to settle some minor details, but the case is ours." Levi said, hanging his jacket over his arm to roll back the sleeves of his shirt. He glanced at the clock. 11:45 a.m. "Well, good to hear, I got some-"

"Petra, give me fifteen minutes alone, please. I need to use my phone."

"Oh. Yes, sir." Petra nodded and turned to tap away at her computer, raising the phone to her ear with a look of concentration on her face.

Levi walked to his office, dropping down into his chair with a sigh. He took his phone from out of his pocket and his eyes widened at the message notification on the upper corner, heart hammering at the daunting number '11' that blinked up at him.

All of them were from Eren. Shit.

Levi didn't bother reading through them and decided to call Eren immediately, frowning at the unnerving rings that grazed on his ears. After the fourth ring, Levi started to pace his office, wondering what could have gone wrong for Eren to-

"Levi!" Eren laughed breathlessly. Levi's breath left him at the cheerful tone, and he fell back on his chair with a sigh of relief. "Hey, are you-"

"Eren, is everything okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, we're great! Here, Mikasa wants to say hi."

"Wait, Eren-"

Too late.

Levi sighed and heard the muted sounds of Eren's phone being moved around. He heard what sounded like saliva for a moment before Mikasa's faint 'that's not food, 'min.' made him chuckle.

"Levi."

Levi took a deep breath and settled back down on his chair.

"Hey, princess. Is everything going okay? Are you having fun?"

"There are a lot of pretty things." Mikasa said with awe. "And paint. We painted lots."

Levi chuckled, knowing that meant Mikasa was as happy as she was gonna get. He made a note to himself to pick up something for Eren on the way home, the kid ad really pulled through for him with this.

"That's good. I'll be there to pick you up later. Be good for Eren while you're there."

"Ok."

"Well, then put Eren back on and-"

"Ok, bye." Mikasa said before Levi could wedge another word in and he huffed.

Was everyone in that house going to cut him off?

"Levi, you still there?" Eren asked absentmindedly. It sounded like he was working on something in the kitchen, if the sound of pans and cutlery moving around was anything to go by.

"I'm here." Levi said.

"Great. Listen, I'm making spaghetti and meatballs for lunch, is there anything Mikasa is allergic to? Anything she just doesn't like?"

Cute. And hard-working. And responsible.

You're so, so screwed, Levi.

"Levi?"

"No, she doesn't have any allergies. She's not fond of green peppers but she'll eat them occasionally if you want to try your luck."

"Nah, I'll just leave them out of the recipe. Good thing you called, I was about to chop them next." Eren chuckled and Levi heard the sound of the refrigerator door opening and closing. "Did you get the pictures I sent?"

Right. The messages that almost sent Levi crashing to the floor and pressing life support.

"Fuck, kid. Have some consideration for your elders, I thought something went wrong when I saw all those messages. Could have given me a heart attack."

"Oh. No, no, don't worry everything's fine. If something urgent comes up I have your secretary's number as well, remember?" Eren assured. "And you're not that old. 29 is a perfectly nice age."

Levi blinked at that. "How do you know how old I am?"

Eren gasped and something clattered in the background. Levi heard him put down the phone before the sound of muffled cursing and even more clattering reached him. Eren's voice came nearer again and Levi raised an eyebrow.

"Eren?"

"Shit, sorry. I uhh...I asked the girls from 206. I'm not a stalker or anything like that." Eren said with a strained laughter.

"I see."

"Umm...y-yeah." Eren stuttered.

"Okay." Levi bit the insides of his cheeks. If he was still so young, according to Eren, then why did he feel as though his heart was running a mile a minute without having moved a muscle? And over something as small as Eren being curious enough to ask about him, nonetheless.

Still, it would be impossible to deny that his heart was, indeed, skipping beats and rioting all over his ribcage.

And Eren getting so flustered this easily was just was fuel to the fire.

"Ah...did you see the pictures?" Eren asked after a moment of awkward silence.

Levi frowned and thought back to the message notifications.

"Haven´t seen them yet, but I have lunch break in a few. I'll look at them then."

"Okay." Eren agreed easily. "Don't worry we're fine here and Mikasa is playing with Armin right now. They get along."

Levi hummed as Petra peeked her head in to point at a the sign in her hands with a reluctant face, the words 'A CLIENT IS HERE!' written in bold, black ink. Levi nodded at her and she retreated.

"Listen, Eren, I have to hang up. I'll try to call again in a few hours, but you have my number if you need anything before that."

"Okay." Eren said, and Levi could just hear the smile on his face. "Mikasa, Armin, come say bye."

Levi smiled at the sound of muffled renditions of his name as Mikasa said bye. Armin was probably salivating around the phone again. He could hear gurgling.

"Bye Levi!" Eren called from afar and the call disconnected.

Levi put his phone down and paced his office a few times to get rid of the sudden bouts of energy that ran down his arms and legs before picking up the landline and telling Petra to bring in the whoever was waiting outside.

If the client left singing praises about Levi's charming, lovable personality to a disbelieving Petra it was nobody's business.

 

* * *

 

Levi got home at a quarter past seven, a bit later than intended, small bag in hand.

He found Mikasa buzzing with energy, but the minute Eren invited Levi in her eyes grew droopy and she extended her arms.

Levi raised an eyebrow. Usually she was still wide awake at this time of the day, but apparently that was not the case today.

Eren smiled at the sleepy girl and led Levi to the living room, he left for the kitchen to get Levi something to drink.

Armin was fast asleep in a fluffy beany bag, so Levi made sure to be quiet.

The apartment was basically the same layout as his, with a few minor changes made by the previous owner. It was still mostly bare, there were some unopened brown boxes in the corners (there were no potentially child-crushing piles, Levi noted gratefully) and an inflatable mattress was rolled in a spot by the T.V.

But what drew the eye in were the paintings. Mikasa hadn't been kidding, there were a lot of them, in varying hues and colours, different in size but artfully organised to maximize the small space.

Magnolias in one canvas, forget me nots in the other, white little buds of a flower Levi couldn't identify hung near the window. Most of the paintings were of different flowers. Some were finished, some were not, all were beautiful.

He stepped up closer to a bundle of marigolds, puzzled at how someone could ever have the patience to paint every petal individually with such a degree of detail. Were all of these Eren's? He hadn’t pegged the young man as someone who could sit still for so long, but he might have been wrong.

The sound of soft footsteps alerted Levi to Eren's return and he turned to see the brunet coming towards him, gait relaxed and shoulders straight.

Eren opened his mouth to speak but snapped his lips closed when he noticed Mikasa dozing off in Levi's shoulder.

He stepped a bit closer as Levi lowered the girl on the cushions of the sofa. Mikasa didn't stir. Eren offered the glass in his hand and spoke quietly.

"Umm, here, some water. I didn't know if you wanted coffee, but even if you did I don't have a coffee pot right now and instant coffee isn't all that good for you...and I don't have any juice either so..."

"Water is good, thank you." Levi said.

He took the glass carefully and pushed the small bag in his hands to Eren.

"This is for you." Eren blinked and reached for the package, flicking open the box to gape at the assortment of small cakes inside.

"So many..." The brunet said, obviously pleased.

"I didn't know what you'd like. Sorry for being late."

Eren hummed and thanked him softly.

Levi watched him go to the kitchen and put the box in the fridge. When he bent over slightly, Levi noted that during the day Eren had changed into a soft looking shirt and a pair of shorts. They were slightly on the shorter side and save me Maria, the brat had a nice pair of legs.

Yes, legs, because Levi was enough of a gentleman not to ogle at his perky, perfectly round, entirely delectable apple bottom.

For too long.

Levi smirked and sipped at his water.

"We had a good time." Eren mused as he returned and sat in the single sofa by his right. "She's so sweet and Armin is half in love with her already."

"I'm sure the feeling is mutual, I saw the pictures. You had a busy day."

Eren huffed a laugh, crossing his legs and resting his arms in his knees.

"It was hard to stay still, I actually had a lot of fun. It was the most exercise I've had since I moved in. We danced. Well, Armin just did his own bouncing thing, but he had fun."

The lawyer thought back to the pictures now saved to his phone and nodded. Armin was indeed doing his own...thing. "He'll learn."

"Yeah." Levi blinked and took another sip of his water before leaving it on the small coffee table in front of him.

He should head back to his apartment, he had bothered Eren enough for one day, he knew. He should grab Mikasa, get her things, and leave. But if anyone other than Eren came in and told him to leave, he'd plant the soles of his feet into the carpet.

It was just so nice, the usual quiet that came after Mikasa had fallen asleep lost it's usual daunting stillness and he felt less lonely, somehow.

Also, looking at Eren take small sips of water made Levi keenly aware of the plump lips sliding softly over the glass, slightly chapped from the cold and thoroughly distracting. A hint of tongue caressed the boy's lower lip and it sent a slight thrill through Levi's body. The intensity of the reaction surprised him.

It made him curious enough to want to stay and learn more about this intriguing person.

Eren shifted and glanced at Levi, forcing the man to tamper down what he knew must have looked like a predatory gaze.

"Eren."

The young man looked at him, big eyes bright and focused on him. "Yes?"

"Did you paint all these yourself?" Levi asked gesturing around at the art hanging from the walls.

"Uh, no." Eren said, smiling softly. "Most are from my mother, she gave them to me before she ah...before she passed away."

"I see." Levi nodded, staring at the flowers with a better understatement of their value. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"It was a long time ago so..yeah, thanks." Eren shook his head and looked at the paintings with something akin to longing. "She was really something special, a lot of her usual patrons asked to buy these but I just couldn't sell them."

"I understand." Levi said. "They're very beautiful."

Eren's smile was blinding, proud. "Yeah, they really are. I can't compare my work to hers, she was very talented."

"I'm sure she was, but you must be, too." Levi mused, looking at the single tiger lily standing just behind Eren's shoulder. "Is that one yours?"

Eren looked back and, surprised, turned to nod at Levi with a confused pinch in his brow.

"It looked like something you would paint." Levi answered Eren's unvoiced question. "I like that one."

If one looked at it carefully, it wasn't impossible to see how the painting differed to the others. The strokes seemed rougher, tumultuous currents whereas the others were peaceful streams. It portrayed a level of emotion and passion that the others somehow didn't. Eren seemed like the kind to put everything into what he did and Levi could see it in his art.

Although the end result was slightly sloppier, Levi found he quite preferred it.   

"I...thank you. I like it too."

"So, you said you had no classes?" Levi asked, settling back on the couch.

Eren blinked and took a second to catch up to the change in conversation.

"Yeah. I mean, according to my schedule, I don't really have any major deadlines right now. What better time to take a short vacation and settle in?"

"And have you? Settled in, I mean."

"Well, mostly." Eren shrugged, pointing to the stack of boxes.

"Those are just decorations and other small stuff, and I got to know some people from the building, too."

"Yeah?"

Eren smiled. "Yeah. You, obviously, and the girls...the blonde one and Ymir."

"Christa." Levi clarified and Eren nodded.

"Yeah. And I know about the important stuff, like where the closest supermarket is and stuff like that, but I still get lost sometimes." Eren chuckled, glancing at Armin with an apologetic smile. "Armin usually doesn't mind wandering around a bit, but he can get fussy about it."

Levi nodded. "Understandable."

Eren hummed and the sat in silence for a bit as the brunet sipped at what was left of his water. Levi wondered if it would be terribly impolite to ask for another glass to buy himself a few more minutes.

The young artist looked at Levi with a shy smile.

"So, I'm free tomorrow." Eren said, then blushed and stammered. "I mean, I... if you don't have a nanny yet, I'm free. To babysit."

Levi felt himself smile at Eren's jittery response, and as a matter of fact, no, Levi didn't have a nanny yet. Short of firing Petra as a secretary to hire her again as a babysitter with double the pay, he had nothing.

"I'd like that, actually." Levi said.

"Ok. I'd like that, too."

Eren kept blinking slowly as he talked, shoulders relaxed and gestures slow. Levi chuckled at the obvious signs of a tired nanny. Armin's snores already filled the room and Eren seemed to be not too far behind. The three brats really did have a busy day, it would seem.

It was only seven thirty for christ's sake.

Curiosity and everything else aside, there would be more chances to speak to the kid, better to have him rest tonight.

"I'll let you rest." Levi said, maneuvering Mikasa back against his chest.

"No, no, I'm fine." Eren said, gesturing to the couch.

"Stay if you want."

"You should rest, you're about to fall over."

Eren looked like he was about to protest but Levi felt his lips curl up at another of the brunette's muffled yawns. Levi took the opportunity to shoulder Mikasa's bag.

"Ok, I might be a bit tired." Eren relented. He followed Levi to the door and unlocked it for him, standing aside so the older male could walk through.

Now, with a drowsy Mikasa over one shoulder, Levi stood in the hallway of his benefactor.

"Thank you, Eren. You've been a great help today, I owe you."

"Nah." Eren shook his head, leaning against the door frame in a lazy slouch. "Don't mention it, it was no biggie. I told you I had fun with them. Mikasa's great. She wouldn't stop telling me about you."

"Oh? What did she say about me?"

Eren hummed for a moment, tugging at the hem of his oversized shirt.

"You like dark chocolate. And the colour blue."

"True on all accounts." Levi agreed, swallowing the urge to say he might prefer green over blue now.

Well, he liked the kind of green that wasn't all green, the one that had specks of other hues mixed in as well as maybe some softer shades of gold, when in the right light.

And pink. The kind that dusted Eren's cheeks sometimes. That was good, too.

Eren smiled. "She was also adamant that you didn't like messes. She didn't make any and tried to teach Armin not to, either."

"'Atta girl." Levi praised the sleeping toddler.

Eren hummed in amusement for a second before he checked his phone.

"So, about tomorrow..." Eren started, but Levi interrupted him.

"Yeah, I know you said free of charge, but I-"

"No, it's really no problem. I'm already taking care of Armin so...actually, it's easier to care for him when Mikasa's around to distract him. Just until you find another nanny."

"Let me do something, you're being a real help with all of this.”

Eren shifted in place and tugged at his shirt again frowning, cute and stubborn.

"All of the money I earn comes in for Armin anyways, really. And the apartment, but that's it. I have a scholarship, so the school gives me my paints and canvases."

"What about food?"

Eren blinked.

"What?"

"All you listed was about Armin, apartment and school. What about food? Gas money, clothes...toys and stuff like that?"

"Huh? Well, usually we eat simple stuff and veggies are cheap around here.” Eren shrugged. “I can cook, I’m good at it and Armin has lots of toys, I’ll get more when he gets bored with those."

“What about gas money?”

“I don't need gas money.”

Levi raised an eyebrow.

“You don’t need gas money.”

“Ah, no. I don’t have a car so I don’t...need it, I don’t need gas money. I walk or take the bus. Usually a friend drops me off in exchange for help with schoolwork and stuff.”

Levi frowned at that. Sure, the neighbourhood was nice, he wouldn't live here if it wasn't, but the University was too far away for Eren to be going there at night alone. By car, it would only be a ten minute drive, but it easily equated into half an hour or more by foot. And waiting alone at that dingy, suspicious stop at night was like the start of any horror movie.

The nearest bus stop was far enough to make getting a bus mostly pointless, anyhow. Eren would cover the rest of the way faster on foot. Plus, he would have to carry his materials, right? Levi didn't care for pity. He didn't appreciate it and he sure as fuck didn't throw it around.

Eren was helping him out so Levi would do the same.

"Dinner then." Levi said before he could stop himself. "I mean, I'll bring by dinner and we can eat together, whatever you want. My treat. If you want."

Eren blinked at him for a moment before nodding slowly.

And god, Levi really was cultivating a nice appreciation for pink lately.

"Dinner. I'd...like that. Yes, that sounds nice."

“And I’ll drive you to classes. And if your classmate can't drive you back you let me know.”

Eren looked alarmed for a moment but Levi’s stern expression made his bite his tongue. He nodded slowly.

"Ok. I'll bring Mikasa at around eight if that's alright. And I'll find another babysitter as soon as possible."

"That's fine, really." Eren shrugged, turning to head inside.

"Goodnight, Levi." Levi nodded one last time before unlocking his apartment and heading inside. He waited until he heard Eren's door was closed to lock it and went straight to Mikasa's bedroom.

Home, sweet home. Where everything was squeaky clean and exactly where Levi wanted it.

He took her shoes off, pushed her covers back and changed her into her favourite jammies. She never even stirred.

Levi left her door ajar and headed down the hall to his room.

Mindlessly, he shrugged off his jacket and unbuttoned his cuffs, then his front, until his chest was bared to the chilled air in his room. Why was it always so cold in here?

He wasn't hungry so dinner was a moot point for him. He thought about waking Mikasa up to eat something, but he knew that if she was hungry there was no way in God's green earth that she would fall asleep so easily.

There was also no chance that Levi wouldn't be made aware of it. Mikasa knew what she wanted and how to demand it, usually.

All things taken into account, this means Mikasa must have had dinner at the Jeager's. With a jolt Levi realized that Mikasa had mooched food from Eren all day so he resolved to pack several snacks on her bag for tomorrow before leaving.

Also, he'd give Eren some money to take care of the groceries for tomorrow. 

With a grunt, Levi settled on the couch with a small paperback novel Hange had recommended and got comfortable for the night.

Tomorrow would be another day, and Levi found himself looking forward to it more than usual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, lovelies! Tell me what you liked/didn't like about this chapter! Also, I'm really curious about what made you leave Kudos, so if there was a specific line or scene or anything that 'convinced' you, please let me know!
> 
> Have a nice week everyone, and if you're struggling with uni/school like me, I wish you the best of luck! You can do it <3


End file.
